Rema Kalenga Reserved Forest

Rema Kalenga Reserved Forest located in Chunarughat Upazila of Habiganj District of Sylhet Division is known as the second largest natural forest area in Bangladesh. In 1982, this forest area of ​​about 1795 hectares was recognized as Rema Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. Rema-Kalenga Sanctuary covers the vast areas of Rema, Kalenga and Chanbari, which are included in the Kalenga Range of the Forest Department. Rema-Kalenga Sanctuary is home to about 638 species of trees, about 62 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and about 167 species of birds.

Among the various animals are the rare species of Malayan big squirrel, kulu, rhesus and shy monkey, Maya deer, Mukhpora Hanuman, owl, spectacled Hanuman, Mechobag, Gandagokul, wild boar, porcupine, beji and various species of snakes. Apart from this, among the different species of birds are Hill Myna, Mathura, Bhimraj, Red-headed Coot, Tia, Sepahi Bulbul, Chil, Basantabauri, Vulture, Wild Rooster, Wild Boar, Owl, Eagle and Fish Ranga.

The Rema-Kalenga Sanctuary has three photo-beautiful trails of 30 minutes, 1 hour and 3 hours. There is a tall observation tower to enjoy the beauty of the forest at a glance. And the observation tower is surrounded by a beautiful lake. There are tribal settlements of Tripura, Santal, Telugu and Urang communities. Besides, there is a tomb of the brave freedom fighter Shaheed Naik Abdul Mannan Biruttam near the BGB camp in the forest. On September 24, 1971, this brave warrior was martyred at this place. Bullet marks can still be seen on the teak tree next to the tomb.

You have to come to Shaistaganj in Habiganj by bus/train from any part of Bangladesh. From Shaistaganj, 10 taka per person tomtom Shaistaganj new bridge. From Shaistaganj New Bridge, reach Chunarughat Madhya Bazar with a CNG fare of Tk 20 and from there directly go down to Kalenga Bazar at a CNG fare of Tk 70 and walk for 10-15 minutes to reach the main gate of Rema-Kalenga Wildlife Sanctuary. If you want to reserve Kalenga Bazar Laguna directly from Shaistaganj, you must bargain, the fare may be 1000-1200 Tk. Besides, you can get down from Dhaka by bus or train to Srimangal and from there you can take jeep to Rema-Kalenga Sanctuary. The road from Srimangal to Kalenga is quite beautiful. Jeep rental will cost 2000-3000 taka.

For staying in Kalenga, there is a Dak Bungalow of the Forest Department, where one has to take permission from the Deputy Commissioner or the Sylhet Divisional Forest Officer. There are also three private resorts: CMC Resort (Shahadat Bhai – 01719-470988), Rema-Kalenga Eco Resort and Nisarg Taraf Hill Ecoresort (01731-977807). Staying at Nisarg hill resort will cost 700 to 1200 taka.

Besides, if you want to stay in Habiganj, you can stay at Hotel Sonartari, Hotel Amad or the 5-star The Palace Luxury Resort located in Bahubal Upazila.

Feature Image: Nooran Nube